God Had Provided
Something Better
By
faith the walls of
And what
more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, of
David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms,
administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched
raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness,
became mighty in war, put foreign armies to fight. Women received their dead by
resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to
obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even
chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they
were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats,
destitute, persecuted, tormented – of whom the world
was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes
in the ground.
Yet
all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was
promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart
from us, be made perfect.
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run with
perseverance the race that is set before us…
Hebrews 11:30-12:1
The
army of Alexander the Great was advancing on
As
soldiers of Christ, we must rid ourselves of anything that hinders or holds us back
in the conflict with our spiritual enemy. To fight the battle effectively, we
must be clad only with the armor of God.
If we
are to fight the good fight of faith and run the spiritual race with endurance,
we have to focus on one word – faith. Get rid of anything that may be holding
you back. Get rid of anything that jeopardizes your faith.
Our Daily Bread –